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World Retail Banking Report 2022: Incumbent banks must embrace data-centric capabilities to drive personalized customer experiences

21 Apr 2022

“The formula for growth sounds simple. Customers want to be provided with personalised experiences, regardless of wherever they may be on their own digital journey. The challenge, however, remains in execution,” says Nilesh Vaidya, Global Industry Head, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Capgemini’s Financial Services Strategic Business Unit. “Retail banks must rethink their wider business models, restructuring to focus on providing the same personalised, lifestyle-enabled ecosystem journeys that customers have come to expect from their digital interactions. Without addressing the disparity and striking inconsistency between a customer’s digital and physical banking experiences, traditional banks risk losing customer value to their more agile FinTech counterparts.”

Banks must leverage platform-based models to optimise growth

According to the survey, more than 70% of banking executives cited that traditional banks lack data and analytics capabilities. As incumbent banks race to keep pace with the nimble FinTechs, many providers are meshing traditional offerings with nonfinancial lifestyle products. Others are offering Banking as a Service (BaaS) and embedded banking solutions via the ecosystems of non-financial third parties. Platform models can help collect data for personalisation, making them well-positioned to mine data ecosystems and derive real-time insights.

However, while platform-based models are not new for banks, many players are still struggling with their execution. In the executive survey, 78% of respondents worried about cannibalising products through ecosystem partners, and 72% were concerned about preventing brand dilution. According to the report, the challenges must be faced to deliver the personalised, omnichannel experiences and ecosystem journeys that customers want, which will rely on embracing new technologies and tearing down internal silos.

To thrive in this fiercely competitive environment, with digitally native FinTechs continuing to capture a rising amount of market value, we’re seeing retail banks finally embracing innovative technologies and platform-based models to optimise this data-driven growth,” says John Berry, CEO of Efma. “While this has evolved within many of these incumbents’ digital channels, customers still expect branches to be experience centers, filled with self-service options and financial advice. By strengthening their ability to collect and analyze data, providers can identify what customers want, which ultimately is consistent omnichannel banking experiences.”

Positioning Banking CMOs as customer strategists and chief engagement officers to deliver a true omnichannel experience

In tackling the data- and technology-driven challenge of strengthening customer relations and personalising their banking experiences, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) need to step up and play a pivotal role in this evolution. According to the survey, 75% of global banking CMOs said they have direct responsibility for brand building (25% said it was a shared responsibility with other C-Suite executives), and 63% for new products’ development and launch, demonstrating how these leaders are expected to own the customer lifecycle and manage each facet of customer engagement. However, many of these CMOs are ill-equipped to guide the transition from product- to customer-centric marketing, cites the report, largely because the data needed to pursue those customer-based strategies is poor, siloed and focuses only on internal data, missing the external data sources.

For example, only 22% of CMOs reported that they directly manage end-to-end customer experiences or have access to complete customer profiles needed to effectively tailor their product or service. However, through engaging with this critical data, CMOs can deliver a true omnichannel experience by anticipating customer needs and creating personalised offerings. To achieve this, CMOs will have to take a page of out the FinTech’s book to curate targeted content, upgrading the banking experience with continual process improvements and establishing an effective, data-driven value loop which prioritises engagement and long-term relationships. In doing so, retail banks will be able to create, realise and capture long-lasting customer value.

Report Methodology

The World Retail Banking Report 2022 draws on insights from two primary sources – the Global Voice of the Customer survey 2022 with 8,051 respondents, and the Executive surveys and interviews 2022 with 142 banking executives. Together, these primary research sources cover insights from 29 markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK, and US.

For more information, please visit www.worldretailbankingreport.com.

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organisation of over 325,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2021 global revenues of €18 billion.

Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com/gb-en/

 About Efma

A global non-profit organisation established in 1971 by banks and insurance companies, Efma facilitates networking between financial services decision-makers. It provides quality insights to help banks and insurance companies make the right decisions to foster innovation and drive their transformation. 120+ financial groups in more than 130 countries are Efma members. Headquartered in Paris. Offices in London, Brussels, Andorra, Milan, Bratislava, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul.

Learn more: www.efma.com